Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 August 1889 — ON TARIFF REFORM, [ARTICLE]

ON TARIFF REFORM,

The Hon. Thomae R. Cobb ■was then introduced and spoke for about forty minutes. He delivered a very logical address which was well received. He said: “You know my views upon the great political questions of the day. We are in the midst of peace yet not so prosperous as we would like to.be. We have no ; political excite ment now, yet you have turned out in great numoers to-day for the purpose of quietly listening to such arguments as may be presented. Yju have come here from the hill-tops and the valleys—have come with minds open and ready to receive arguments with refer ence to tne future of your country and with reference to those things which may benefit j ou. I intend to pursue the even tenor of my way now as a private citizen. I have stud ied with great care and thoroughness those questions that are of interest to you and .to me, and am here to talk plainly and thruthfolly concerning them. “To-day the tariff is the greatest question that arises tor the consideration of the American people. We hav* witnessed its operations and have seen that by it the poor man has been made poorer and the rich man richer. We were told by republican politicians and stump speakers last fall that in case the republican party—and I allude to it in no partisan sense —was advanced to power in the nation much good would follow. Now,one Harrison of our own state was elected president. Has it brought] about prosperity or increase in wages? They utter ed the direful prophec/ that, in case of Grover Cleveland’s election, depression in business and hard times would be the result. From the mouth of every republican speaker came the promise of unbound ed prosperity, in the event of a victory for republicanism. Havejthe promises been carried out? I aak every intelligent man within hearing of my voice if those promises have been held sacred? My friends., in my judgment, the fact that the republican party succeeded iu electing Gen. Harrison, who was known to be a high protectionist, was a signal that wages were to be lowered and that the prices of your farm products were to be reduced. And been trie result. Do you now believe that the demagogical orators who mouthed in behalf of re publicanism last fall told you the truth? Don’t you know they deceived you? You ex - pected to profit by the results of republicc n legislation, but you have not done so The Carnegies down East lied to you. They said the price of wages would go up, but you have already heard that the wages of the Carnegie employes have been reduced, and that they are now protesting by means of a strike. This tariff is one of the main causes. “My friends, God made this country, and He made you and me. He intended in His divine wisdom that you and I should be free to enjoy all the profit of our labor, save enough to economically administer our government. When I have rendered tribute unto Caesar then I shall render tribute to my fellow-man. The tribute to Caesar shall be the necessary tax for Caesar’s government, and the tribute that I owe my fellow-man is equality of rights. It is an outrage that a tax should be levied upon you to make me rich. It takes time to effect a reform, but already more than /twenty-four yeans have elapsed since this erf 1 ® was operation. 1 he esnseq pence has been that it has torn from each year a certain portion of your earnings and put them into the pockets of those who deserve x^? 1 n °k Such is a violation of God’s laws and a violation 0 Poetical economy. main argument for the tariff is that it is a blessing—it makes things cheaper. This

is the veriest nonsense. Wi th equal absurdity republicans claim that everything which is good comes from their legislation They claim—or would seem to—that every invention due to mechanicaljgenuis and by which certain things have been cheapened, is a result of the tariff ” Here the speaker gave a resume of inventions of the country, and explained that they were due not to the tariff, but to the handiwork of skillful artisans. Mr. Cobb closed with a pointed and lucid explanation of the working and nefarious results of the present tariff system.

Judge Robinson of Owen county,(followed Mr. Cobb, and having explained the fact that ‘he was noth! ng but a scalawag of a lawyer,” sail: “Looking into the faces of so many farmers, it occurs to me that this must be priucipally’a farmers’ meeting. I shall not detain you long, but wish to say at least, how-de do. 1 am glad to enjoy this most excellent political speech to which you lavejlistened. What a happy thought to call together these people to take < ouncil for mutual benefit. The heat of the campaign is past. Our passions are fled. The smoke of the battle is gone. Republicans as well as democrats have the opportunity to ask the question, what has this all been worlh to us? We fought in this e-reat political cam paign. We marched under the banner. We shouted long and loud for Harrison and protection. We carried high the old republican standard. W-e won the fiercely fought battle. What has it been worth to ns? v * hat I as it been worth to me and to you? and you? and you? By it has my wife been better clothed or my childoen better clad and fed? Am I taxed with fewer hours of labor? Are the necessaries of Hie cheaper to me? Is the prducts of my labor rendered better? It is the great law of labor since the early dawn of the world that‘by the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread.’ Does this great law rest more easily upon my shoulders today than before Harrison’s advent into office ?

Every workingman in the country to day has occasion to ask these questions she goes to the store to buy the necessaries of life he gets the answer that not one iota are prices decreased. If he goes to his employer to get the h ls a^or he finds that not one penny ishis wages increased.. If he tskes the products of his farm to market he must sell it at the same old price. AU around th .; fu t confronts him that in no ea:\oly way has his condition been bettered. In fact, the prices prevailing for his labor and his product he finds to be lower almost than ever within his recollection. The republican party boasted that in tho alchemy of its politics it had discovered some mysterious something whereby you who labor should obtain wealth without tv 1 to-day the falsity of that boast is very apparent. Ae still havq to work, still nawe to toil for the bread we eat. fney point to the pro-

ducts of human toil—to the products of human industry, to the accomplishments of m aster minds -to schools and colleges andptiblic structures of surpassing magnificence, and tell you, if they tell you the truth, that your father and your brothers and you have been made to slave until your fn-. .• re rnd T *ou arc ready to die. They have made you d6‘tii.i c - for these. The repu! /. . ‘ty owes much us its. . to the word ‘pre ’ want, in tre I ] e, or —y,+ word Is swc-. t-tc c ears thai ic t. the word or-litut ed ~ , ha.L it> op ..'e is lost. 1 e were beaten xast fail, b.'kt ...of uj i/bc pupum! vOluc. e io. owed. ‘auei' the like of whom for political honor and ability modern history does not mention, Grover Cleveland, the choice of the people, tne man who to-day is first in the hearts of his count: yxuen; amanby the side of whom his opponent sinks int<) e fought a n . ..v battle for a just ano. H 1 ' bvk.; mhde. And ’ v. .mfii < athei follow such a leader m such a cause to complete political annihilation than to ride to a thousand years of political supremacy with the principle that triun ph-id last fall.” Air. Robinson was cheered repeatedly throughout his discourse, as were the other orators oi the day, and by the time the last speaker left the stand the sun was nearly down 'The vast concourse of people who had shown the greatest eiithir u;sm 1 liroughunt the day poured out of ttie grounds to scatter in all directions to their homes. The meeting was a gigantic success. People were present from Sullvan, vigo. Parke and Clay couties. Among them were large delegations of miners rrom Clay and Parke counties’ who have been “protected” to stub a great extent, jhe crowd was very orderly, not adm'urbaace of any kind breaking the harmony of the day.